


17°

by 2kyoo



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-02-05 09:04:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12791256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2kyoo/pseuds/2kyoo
Summary: There was a hope where he could believe in such concepts as love. Love of all kinds.But everything crashed down because of pain.It existed everywhere. It was in the bedrooms, in public spaces, and even through white screens. He definitely hated the feeling but couldn't help but accept it because his emotions were too intense for the rest of the world to handle.Only if someone could help him out of his misery. Only if the world wasn't so cruel as it is now.Then he met the love of his life again.





	1. 17°C

**Author's Note:**

> quick context: i'm going to make this story a very realistic one. not one where parents go "omg ur gay, i'm so happy for u!!" i'm going to write it as accurately as i can to the ideals of south korean society. i feel that some people are uneducated on this part, so i wanna reveal the negative parts of south korea as people only see the country as a dream place to travel to. as a korean-american, i want to also deliver these important messages in my fic so you guys can learn and enjoy at the same time ^^
> 
> remember that everything is fiction here, and i'm not implying any sexualities.
> 
> thanks for checking out this story! 
> 
> [ reposting from aff; riikyo ]

It was cold, but not too cold.

The weather was perfect for any activity of sorts, so to say, as it was the middle of October, but Hong Jisoo's hands were turning into ice every minute he stared and stared into blank space as he waited for the bus to come. Leaves fell around him, signifying that winter was coming and that he would have to cover himself in blankets to block out the cold. It also meant that his freshman year at the university was coming to an end soon as he would have to study for his upcoming exams and handle his job at the same time.

From what he thinks, there wasn't much time left in the year.

The man attempted to keep his hands warm by rubbing them together and stuffing them into his jacket pockets, but it did not help one bit because the windbreaker he was wearing was ridiculously thin. Although it did keep the wind away, it did not ensure Jisoo's warmth, and that led him to freeze in the cold.

He didn't mind it too much though, because once distracted, he forgets about it.

Distracted by what? you may ask. Well, Hong Jisoo has a hobby where he watches people around him. It may seem creepy to some people at first, but there is no bad intention behind this hobby of his. It is purely his interest, as he is almost always amazed by the world and its functions, and nothing but an observant mind like his will take every detail of the world into consideration.

Those cat-like eyes of his looked at a particular group of high schoolers hanging around from across the street. As his eyes moved along with the direction of the group, he felt a sense of nolstagia from his past hitting him.

Before he could get to one of  _those_  memories, Jisoo averted his attention to something else, or rather, _someone_ else.

This particular person had strikingly dyed pale-blond hair with sharp masculine features that shaped his jaw and neck. He was wearing a dark blue bomber jacket (which was  _much_  warmer than the windbreaker Jisoo had) and black jeans with white high tops. Although simple, the guy's figure looked good, Jisoo had to admit, until this mere stranger looked back at him from across the empty street.

And this  _mere stranger,_  who Jisoo had thought, was no mere stranger.

He found himself looking into the eyes of Yoon Jeonghan, his first love.

And whether the meeting of their eyes was a coincidence or not, Jisoo tried his best not to notice the other by making it seem he was looking around. He did not want to involve himself in past thoughts again and absolutely did not want to recall those memories of his _first and last_  crush. The thought of his past made him sick—he did not notice that he had stopped breathing for a while, that his hands had gotten colder. Despite never being in a relationship with _seen_ person, Jisoo and his emotions were the prey at the end, because they had tangled up and created nothing but unrequited adoration and painful misery back then.

 _I don't want to be involved with him anymore,_ the brunette's mind echoed furiously yet nervously. 

What Hong Jisoo doesn't notice is that the man he saw across the street was making his way towards  _his_  direction as he was immersed in his panicked thoughts. By the time Jisoo brings himself back into reality, Yoon Jeonghan's beautiful face is blocking his view.

"Is that you, 'Shua?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick notes:  
> \+ hair colors are still dwc era  
> \+ in s.korea, college yr starts in march & ends december, as mid-december thru end of february is winter break. yet people still sign up for classes during break bc everyone is competitive af.  
> \+ chapters will be super short or super long :>
> 
> [ ye i finally started on it! making a story board rly helps a lot and i encourage you writers to do it so you don't have a major writer's block ]


	2. 16°C

Whenever Jisoo was staying back to do errands or activities in school, Jeonghan would always either join in with him or wait for him, and then the two would walk home together. And on the way home, they would sometimes grab snacks (or dinner, if they knew their parents were coming late) and eat them until they arrived to the place where they always saw each other off. When Jisoo was free from activities and whatnot, it was the same since their high school teachers like to fill their bags up with work. But whenever they had the  _actual_  time to hang out, they would go places: cafes, the mall, a PC room, whatever they could find and easily reach. Jisoo's personal favorite was going karaoke since he could listen to Jeonghan's angelic voice for hours.

Those days were the prime days of his life, Jisoo recalled. But he remembered what did not make those days the  _best_ was when he realized his undeniable crush for his best friend a little too early. At that time, he had thought it was because Jeonghan was the first one to be his friend, to show affection to him. After all, Jisoo was a transfer from overseas and Jeonghan had really helped him from the start. He figured it was some stupid thing going on with his brain and had ignored it, but as the affection grew stronger by the moments they hung out with each other, it got overwhelming for his heart.

It was the day when Jeonghan had been confessed to that Jisoo realized that he was in love with his friend. His heart had wrenched in pain when he heard from Jeonghan that he was going to talk to some girl (yes, Yoon Jeonghan was popular as expected). Jisoo's thoughts were confused in the emotional turmoil of jealousy that screamed that he should not let his friend go to that girl. Eventually, Jeonghan had returned saying that he rejected the girl and that if he ever wanted to start a relationship, he wanted to know a person better before dating them. Jisoo's heart back then was relieved, but at the same time, it ached for the impossibility of not being able to confess to his friend because _he was a guy_.

Unfortunately, he was born in a conservative Christian home too. If any of his family members found out about his unprofessed love for Jeonghan, he knew he would be disowned and kicked out of his house immediately. Well, that was a slight exaggeration, but Jisoo knew that something similar to that would happen if he revealed his secret. The entire society wouldn't like Jisoo's orientation either, because whether they were Christian or not, the idea of liking another person of the same sex was not welcomed in the whole country. Even if modern society was changing a bit on those views, it wouldn't work out as well, he knew.

At one point, the question of ' _Does God really forbid same sex relationships?'_  popped into Jisoo's mind the more he overthought things at night.

He really liked Jeonghan a lot. The boy would think about kissing his friend day and night, immersed in his fantasies whenever he could find the time. But at the same time, he was forced to doubt his own beliefs which always made him sigh in frustration because he was a devoted believer since birth.

Jisoo wasn't entirely  _gay_  either. He just knew he had some attraction to Jeonghan after researching all night after that Jeonghan-being-confessed-to event, but he wasn't necessarily attracted to men in general. Since everything after that profusely puzzled him more, the boy, thinking that nobody was going to help him with his love problems whatsoever, ignored his emotions, even if they were overwhelming, and tried to act like his normal self so he wouldn't complicate things anymore.

And because he did that, nothing problematic came his way. His life seemed to be peaceful to others at least, but his inner emotions were never calm in any sort of way whenever he saw Jeonghan.

He remembered that one day when he almost had lost his façade though. The two of them were discussing their ideal types to each other, and while degrading his own self, saying that no one really liked him _in that way_ , Jisoo was lightly slapped on the arm by Jeonghan who had said, "You don't realize how kind and sweet you are. Heck, if I was a girl, I would  _want_  to date you."

His heart seemed to have burst out of his body once Jisoo processed what his best friend said to him. Since his ears had turned red, he bashfully and playfully accepted Jeonghan's  _compliment,_  which made him entirely weak in the knees.

That was the only dangerous time Jisoo encountered. When the two of them graduated and had to go their own ways, Jeonghan told him to keep in contact. Jisoo never did though, even if he received Jeonghan's texts. He had changed his number and threw and deleted everything related to Yoon Jeonghan. The boy downright ghosted his one and only best friend in high school right after school ended, thinking that he could proceed on in his life without some painful unrequited love.

Apparently, those thoughts went down the pit of his stomach as he faced his high school crush, who was standing right in front of him, asking whether he was  _'Shua_ , aka Jisoo's nickname which had been derived from his English name, Joshua.

As Jisoo deliberately opened his mouth to respond, he couldn't help but notice every detail of his best friend. The blonde hair was a little unkempt from running across the street, his ears and cheeks were slightly tinted red from the not-so-cold-yet-cold weather, and his eyes—Lord, his eyes were the beautiful shade of brown that still held that same glow. The blonde's hands were still big and veiny as they brushed back strands of hair that covered his face. Physically, everything else was still the same and it had made Jisoo's heart skip a beat or two faster.

Jisoo can sense the familiarity of his best friend's presence. Yoon Jeonghan was still in every way beautiful—actually, he looked even more beautiful than the last time Jisoo remembered. Seeing a crisp live image of a long forgotten person had rendered him to forget how to respond as he stood with his wide-opened eyes and agape mouth.

"So, it  _is_  you, Jisoo." The man in front of him chuckled. "You're still the same with that expression."

 _Right_ , he needed to say something back too. "Yeah...how have you been, Jeonghan?" The brunette gave a nod with his head tilted a little to the side and flashed the other a small smile. Gosh, it pained him to do that so naturally after years.

"I'm good..." Jeonghan paused for a while as he glanced at Jisoo's form. "...Actually, I've missed you so much, 'Shua."

With extended arms, the blonde brought his friend into a surprise embrace, hugging the life out of the younger one. "Where have you been? Why did you suddenly leave?" Crying out softly, the older's voice seemed to crack, despite being muffled by the clothes. "Did I do something wrong?"

Jisoo pulled back a little when he heard the last question. Jeonghan gazed questioningly, looking  _broken_ , into his eyes, waiting for a response. "I...no, you didn't."

"Then, why? Why did you ghost me?" The brunette had dreaded this question if he ever had to encounter his friend again, and now he was having it. The cold seemed to enjoy torturing him.

"I...uh...I didn't intend t-to..." Nothing coherent was coming out of his mouth, only pented up emotions. "Sorry, I just can't explain it right now." Jisoo looked down at his feet, shuffling them anxiously.

Jeonghan glanced at him understandingly. "I know this is too sudden for you. Also for me too. Sorry about that, 'Shua. Do you want to talk about it with coffee in the cafe right there?" He pointed at some cute Cafe Bene shop on the left of the street. "I'll pay."

The younger shook his head. "I have work soon."

"Alright, give me your phone then, I'm putting my number in." After exchanging numbers a little awkwardly, a text popped up on the screen, reading _jeonghan: hey_.

"Um, so this means we are meeting soon, right?"  _What a dumb question to ask_ , Jisoo scolded himself.

The blonde nodded. "Yep, we can talk about when to meet later."

At that time, Jisoo saw his bus about a block down from the bus stop he was at.

"Looks like that's your bus, right?" Jeonghan patted the brunette's shoulder knowingly. "I'll text you later. I hope we can really talk this through soon, 'Shua."

Jisoo nodded nervously as the bus neared the stop. "Alright. Nice meeting you again, Jeonghan."

With that, he got on the bus with one final glance at Jeonghan, who seemed to look like he had founded the missing piece of his life.


	3. 15°C

_Ding!_

Shuffling in his position at his desk, Jisoo glanced at his phone across the room. There was some notification on the screen, which he couldn't obviously read from where he was.

It was probably one of his friends from his university. Whatever, nothing too important.

_Ding, ding, ding!_

Maybe it was the group chat instead. He decided that he will check it later.

_Ding, ding, ding, ding!_

He lost it. He shoved away from his chair and abruptly got up to check the messages.

The brunette's pupils dilated when he saw arrays of ' _Yoon Jeonghan_ ' on his screen. 

That was very unexpected yet expected soon enough. As he unlocked his phone, blocks of blue bombarded his iPhone screen.

 

**윤정한 [Jeonghan]**

> _Hey 슈아~                                                                 Hey 'Shua~_  
>  널 오늘 찾아서 넘 좋더라~                                              I feel great after meeting you today~  
> 그래서 언제 만날레?                                                      So when do you want to meet?  
> 괴롭있는거 아니지?;;                                                     I'm not annoying you, right? ;;  
> 혹시 내일 오픈?                                                           Are you free tomorrow?  
> 아는 카페 있는데 거기 가자 ^^                                        I know this nice cafe. We should should go there ^^  
> [insert address]                                                       [insert address]  
> 꼭 대답해 줘 ^^                                                          Remember to reply me ^^  
> 그리고 카톡에 친구 추가행!                                             And also add me on Kakao!

 

Jisoo's fingers wavered above the screen as he slowly typed his reply anxiously. He didn't want to reply just yet, but since it would show that he read it, it'd be rude to dismiss Jeonghan like that.

 

**나 [Me]**

> _응 그 쪽으로 내가 갈께. 내일 만나자 :)                             Yeah, I'll go there. Let's meet tomorrow :)_

 

The brunette hit send. He started shaking a little in nervousness as he didn't know what appropriate emoticon he should put after all those years of not texting his ex-best friend. And it was just going to be one meeting, right? Jisoo planned to meet Jeonghan out of respect then get the man out of his sight once more. It was not that he hated the other, but that he wasn't ready to deal with another heartache, which got him to think in that way, but somewhere deep inside of his heart, he wanted to meet the love of his life once again.

He couldn't focus for the rest of the night and didn't get a wink of sleep.

 

* * *

 

After staying awake in bed for two hours straight the previous night, Jisoo's fatigue hit him the next morning. Darn his thoughts. He ran a hand through his hair as he read the clock. _10:18 a.m._

_Crap._ He and Jeonghan were supposed to meet at 11. It took some time getting to the cafe, maybe about twenty minutes by bus, Jisoo checked on his phone the night before. That meant he had to leave the house by at least 10:30 because who knows when the wretched bus will come. Rummaging through his closet quickly, Jisoo found his favorite cream turtleneck that he liked wearing during cold seasons and proceeded to throw on some simple black slacks. He looked into the mirror and smiled—he liked looking classy. To fix his bedhair, the brunette simply brushed his hair and slapped on a little gel to keep it in place.

"Mom, I'm going to meet a friend!" Jisoo said as he put on his shoes. He didn't want his mother to worry about him all the time as he was the only child, so he had a habit of telling her wherever he went whenever he was free.

"Sure, just text me when you're coming home so I know if I need to cook dinner for you or not!" His mother yelled back from the living room.

Truth be told, Jisoo still lived with his parents. It wasn't embarrassing, per say, but rather just convenient for the Hongs. Jisoo's university and workplace were fairly close and living with his family would mean no separate bills to pay. However, he claimed that he will take responsibility in paying part of the bills when he became an adult, so he had taken on working at a bakery and interning at a hospital.

Well, Jisoo just wanted a stable life, nothing else. He stepped out the door and checked his phone. _10:34 a.m._  Picking up his pace, the brunette made a run for the bus stop.

 

* * *

 

It was 11:03 a.m. Jisoo finally arrived at the venue, but hesitated before entering the doors of the cafe.

_Breathe_ , he calmed himself. _There is no need to be worried. Be cool about it._

He slowly opened the glass door and scanned the space for a blond head.

Hm, nothing. Just as Jisoo was about to take a seat at one of the tables, a voice boomed from behind.

"Hey, 'Shua!!" A familiar voice echoed in his ears. "Looks like I'm later than you, did you see my KaTalk?"

The brunette turned around as Yoon Jeonghan was revealed to him. The blond looked more stunning than yesterday, Jisoo thought, but he shook that thought off as he greeted with "Hi, Jeonghan."

"I overslept a bit, sorry about that." Jeonghan said as he sat down. "Should we order first?"

"Sure." Jisoo seated himself in his seat as well. He was already a little anxious seeing Jeonghan again, but he was also fascinated with how the other was acting as if they were still friends. He scanned the menu, but he was unsure of what to get because all of the choices seemed heavenly...and slightly pricey.

"Is it your first time here?" The brunette nodded. "Their tiramisu is really good here! You should try that with some rose tea."

"Hm, okay, I'll go with that." Jisoo looked at the totaled price of said items. _21,000 won_. He could afford it with the cash he had on him. "Yeah, I'll get that."

Jeonghan glanced at Jisoo being nervous. It showed, at least to Jeonghan. "By the way, I'm paying."

The brunette quickly turned his gaze on the blond, scrunching his eyes a bit, which was something he often did whenever someone offered to pay something for him. "No, I can pay for my food."

Jeonghan laughed. "You're still the same, 'Shua." Jisoo tried to protest but the other had turned his back. "Auntie, can we order?"

_Damn, Jeonghan always has it his way...like back then._ He sighed.  _Not that I hate it._

After placing their orders, Jeonghan cocked his head at Jisoo. "So...how are you?" The blond smiled at him, which made Jisoo's heart melt for a second before regaining his confidence to speak.

"I've been fine. Just going to college and working part-time like a regular college student." He stated, being deliberate with his words. "How about you?"

Jeonghan pouted in response. "How can you say that? I've been worried about you! Do you know how much I thought of you, my best friend, suddenly disappearing on me until ten months after?"

That best friend part stung a little, but Jisoo remained calm. "A lot of things happened...but they weren't your fault. Just simple family circumstances that caused us to move away." That was a half-lie. Jisoo's family thought it would be best to move closer to his university (he's the only child after all) and it was also convenient for his working parents as their workplaces would be slightly closer. As for ghosting Jeonghan, that was all Jisoo's doing.

"But you could've let me know back then." The brunette could tell that Jeonghan was getting quite upset by the tone. Jisoo felt bad, but he needed to make up an excuse quickly.

"I felt like I was being a bad friend and...I wanted to restart when I moved."  _GREAT EXCUSE _,__ Jisoo inwardly screamed.

Leaning closer, Jeonghan frowned. "But you were a  _great_  friend back then, what are you talking about?"

"Just the times I felt bad about interrupting you in your schedules and the like. I felt like I was annoying you instead."

"Bro, I never thought you were annoying or whatever." Jeonghan gazed intensely at Jisoo, but immediately softened up. "But I understand where you're coming from."

The brunette looked down in guilt. "Sorry, it was never my intention to hurt you either."

"Then can we start over, 'Shua?" The blond extended his hand out as if they were to make a truce.

Jisoo slowly looked back up at Jeonghan. The expression the other was making and the sadness in his voice, Jisoo couldn't resist.

"...Of course."

Returning back the shake, he hoped that he wouldn't regret this choice.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay okay first of all, pls don't misunderstand me for the text messaging part, but as a korean-american, i gotta think in korean too. texting is so different when it comes to korean so i first imagined how jeonghan's texting style would be and then translated that to english. hope that can clear any confusion you had.
> 
> and i haven't updated in so long! i thought i wouldn't write again but yes, i remembered! tbh this was a weird chapter to write, like i feel there are some parts that could be better. also this fic is kinda basic and a general life story fic, and i hope i'm not boring anyone out. don't worry, all the drama will happen later ><
> 
> thank you all for giving kudos/bookmarking/commenting!


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